Survey Shows T-Mobile Has The Best Customer Care Rankings

According to J.D. Power and Associates' recently released eighth annual U.S. Wireless Customer Care Performance Study, T-Mobile tops other top U.S. wireless carriers in overall customer care. T-Mobile received a ranking of 777 out of a possible 1,000 points.

The study is based on a survey of 9,690 wireless customers who contacted their carrier's customer service department over the past six months. AT&T followed T-Mobile with a score of 757, followed by Verizon Wireless (749) and Sprint (734). According to the survey, the industry average is 753.

The report is based on how well the carriers were able to assist their customers via telephone, through in-store visits, or on the Web. Although 60% of wireless users sought help over the telephone, the survey noted that there are an increasing number of people who are using in-store and Web visits. The people who visited a store to fix a problem reported being more satisfied than they are when they utilize other methods of contact.

The study also finds several key wireless customer care patterns:

Overall, 39 percent of wireless customers contact their carrier due to service and equipment-related issues, while 34 percent contact for billing, 25 percent for incorrect charges, 23 percent for price or cost, 22 percent for call quality, 9 percent for messaging issues, 9 percent for network coverage, and 6 percent for credit issues.

Wireless customers who have had a positive care experience are more loyal and are therefore less likely to switch carriers in the future, on average. Among customers who indicate they “definitely will not switch” carriers in the next 12 months, the customer care index averages 827, compared with just 602 among those who say they “definitely will switch”—a difference of 225 points.

A vast majority of customers get through to their carrier on their first try (90%), but some customers (10%) are misdirected or are put on hold for too long and must make more than one contact. The average wireless customer spends 5.27 minutes on hold when trying to reach their carrier via phone.